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N/A(Z) turns sound technology and performance into tools for perception
Blending experimental electronic music with philosophical inquiry, N/A(Z) creates works that question fixed narratives and invite audiences into alternative modes of thought
N/A(Z), the multidisciplinary project of Naz Karagoz, occupies a distinctive space between sound art, new media and performance, developing a practice that treats the mind as software to be decoded and reality as a simulation to be tested. Working across multimedia installations, audiovisual performances and experimental electronic music, the multidisciplinary artist has built a body of work shaped by personal transformation, philosophical inquiry and technological experimentation.
N/A(Z)’s artistic trajectory began with a decisive break from her past, leaving Turkey and stepping away from opera before embarking on a process of self-reinvention. Drawing influence from thinkers including Donna Haraway, Luce Irigaray, Karen Barad and Ludwig Wittgenstein, her work explores questions of perception, identity and collective experience. Through immersive simulations and performance-based environments, she invites audiences into spaces where established narratives can be challenged and alternative modes of thinking can emerge.
Recent projects have reflected the breadth of her interdisciplinary approach. Her work has been exhibited at the Boiling Point XR Exhibition, while her live electronic performances — often featuring improvisational Turkish vocals — have appeared at venues across New York City. Beyond the club environment, she has also created live electronic music for contemporary dance choreographies. N/A(Z) has recently expanded her multidisciplinary practice with a new multimedia performance piece for the Every Woman Biennial, alongside an exhibition at Various Artists Gallery in collaboration with artist Nina Sobell.
Musically, N/A(Z) operates at the intersection of experimental techno, hard techno, ambient music and noise. Her live Ableton performances combine original sound design, field recordings, live sound processing and improvised Turkish lyrics, resulting in sets that move fluidly between acid techno, tribal techno and more abstract sonic territories. Industrial textures, unconventional synthesis and forceful rhythmic structures sit alongside atmospheric passages, creating a sound that prioritises experimentation over convention. Central to her practice is a commitment to originality, with compositions built from self-generated loops, bespoke sound design and carefully constructed sonic environments.
Reflecting on the conceptual foundations of her work, N/A(Z) explains: "I am always looking for new ways to access and reconfigure reality. Through philosophical thinkers, I have found the power to manipulate the mechanics of reality by approaching the mind as a software that can be decoded and recoded; by understanding the other as a unique operating system that requires world-traveling; by taking reality as a given simulation, a limited narrative, that ought to be probed. I treat technology as an apparatus of translating and revealing these mechanics as it allows me to reveal the possible configurations of reality. Through sound, new media, and performance, I create simulations that invite playfulness, tentacular thinking, and unexpected collaborations. In the future, I want to create digital and physical spaces that invite practices of emancipatory thinking and revolt."
That perspective extends to her relationship with technology itself. Rather than embracing digital tools for spectacle alone, N/A(Z) views technology as a means of uncovering vulnerability, emotional depth and shared human experience. As she notes: "Much of new media targets aesthetics or the spectacle of technology. What interests me is the emotion, the vulnerability, the revealed — the raw plane of feeling we have stopped exploring. I use technology not to hide behind beauty but to investigate discomfort through it. At a time when everything is accessible and everything is fractured, I want to create spaces where we remember that we are not so different — that we exist within the same logical system — and that playfully altering our perception together is how revolt begins."
Across installation, performance and sound, N/A(Z) continues to develop a practice that challenges audiences to reconsider the frameworks through which reality is understood. By combining philosophical inquiry with experimental electronic music and new media technologies, she creates immersive environments where perception becomes fluid, collaboration becomes essential and alternative possibilities can be imagined.
Explore more of N/A(Z)’s multidisciplinary world and follow her latest projects here.
